Tails of Song's Passed
by SilverTigerdirector
Summary: "How did I end up this way?" "Do you judge me?" "How could you possibly understand..." A storyline prior to the events of Searching For The Answer. Find out what became of Song before those days. And how she learned what she may or may not have knew was coming. Rated T for Language and adult themes.


Dawn. The symbol of a new day. Hope after a previous day's distress. It was a natural phenomenon to most, after hours of sleep to feel this peace of mind. After all, isn't this what dreams were for? The term had been dubbed most easily by scholars: "Sleep on it, and the decision will come to you."

A chuckle of bitterness in the dim light of her tent made the once silent campsite come to a slow life once again as the girl thought these words. Her and her friends, comrades, sisters, what have you, had heard many sayings through their travels; even before the arresting of their former leader. But that one always "took the cake" in Song's mind. Of course the decision would come to you if you knew how to interpret your dreams; to find what your subconscious is trying to tell you to solve your daily life's problems. But if you were a normal woman like her, well as normal as the female could be in this life, such a concept was unheard of.

But even still…how could one decode dreams if one could barely dream at all?

The snow leopard rubbed her sore eyes while lying in the shadows before this new day, and her body simultaneously stretched about on her mat. Once her small yet dense muscles relaxed, she breathed a sigh and debated the day ahead when staring at the ceiling of her tent. They had been travelling ever since the Dragon Warrior effectively dismantled their organization from it's core, and were now essentially on the run. Maybe this was a poor choice of words, but every bit of it was true. Po the Panda had shook the lives of these women and turned the Ladies of Shade on their side. Bound by honor to fulfill her promise to her friend, Song had been attempting to change the group's reputation by doing good deeds wherever they went and yes, of course, performing their beautiful dances. It was an art they took pride in, but in the most shallow way possible. To dance only to ultimately steal from the dazed and amazed.

Su. Song groaned and covered her eyes with her arm at the thought of this name. Su, who basically acted as Song's mother after Song left her parent's pressuring lifestyle, had turned the Ladies of Shade into a notorious group of thieves. Better than murderers, of course, but the order in which Su practiced her command had never sat well with Song. No true limitations were put in place. If you could steal it without getting caught, it was up for grabs. Song had once kept this…code close to heart. After leaving the life of a snob, Song had nothing to her name and lived the life of a bilge rat at the grand age of eight. She was forced to steal, but she never stole from the poor if she could help it. Always the rich, who could afford the unfortunate occurrences she instigated.

And now here she was. A twenty-four year old single woman, avoiding guards and nervously hiding in shadows if she even caught the glimpse of a rhino. As if this weren't bad enough, their missions were getting steadily more dangerous. And for poor pay at that.

Sitting up, Song leaned her right elbow on the knee of the same side and looked out of the open tent flap to watch the rising sun this balmy summer morn. Perhaps this was a good thing though, in some ways. More missions meant more people trusted the Ladies, or at least entrusted them enough with their stolen belongings or kidnapped children. Speaking of which…

Song threw off the thin blanket that covered her legs to the side and looked at the small scroll that she had strapped to her thigh under her bracers. Yes she wore bracers now; they all did after that mission involving a seriously disturbed water buffalo turned rather ugly when he kept attempting to cut off their legs with his broadswords. The purchase of their light armor set them back a bit, but Song insisted seeing that their safety was her primary concern. They were a brown leather in the front and on the trim, yet the sides and rear were covered in brass plates. Song grimaced, even when looking at the beautifully shimmering silver metal that was the scroll's end protruding out from in between the scale-like layers of her bracers. Some of the poor women attacked had not been fast enough on that mission, and were quickly killed out of mercy; some by her own claws. Song's paw trembled when she touched the metal of the bracers, and she closed her eyes to keep her composure. Once opened, the leopard clasped the scroll's end and slid it out of it's compartment.

She took a small breath to calm herself, and then proceeded to leave her tent. The sun had risen halfway by now; revealing the small clearing the encampment rested upon. It was almost oval shaped with an odd jutting of cleared ground leaving the camp ground which pointed to the West. The size of it was roughly ninety meters in circumference, so it was hardly enough to fit every tent individually; as a result, most of the tents were weaved together and supported mainly by the surrounding trees, giving the campsite almost the look of a temporary fort. Only some, like Song's, had been allowed an individual spot for privacy's sake.

The twins of course kept their own tent together, making Song roll her eyes habitually as she knew full well why they kept their own tent together. Despite what most may think of the flirtatious and at times loose twins, their reasons for staying together like they did was, while not innocent, far from sordid.

Song gave in to the yawn building inside her, and covered her opening maw with a paw as she walked to the campfire where a few of the Ladies sat around to keep watch; among them was the group's cook Tu Bian, cutting a variety of fruits and spices to make what was no doubt another one of her hair-brained, god-awful experiments.

The leader walked up to the bubbling pot hanging above the fire and bravely sniffed at the steam rising from it. To her surprise, she did not faint or vomit or anything. Song's expression must have reflected her thoughts as one of her subordinates sitting on the log to her right quietly laughed.

"Not as repulsive as the usual stuff, is it?" exclaimed the leopardess with a teasing grin and nudge to the horn-rimmed wearing girl sitting beside her.

"Hey I do my best!", said Tu Bian in almost a shout, waving her wooden spoon before dipping it back into the pot to stir "Not my fault we don't have enough money for decent food…"

"You could still make something a little less adventurous every once in a while, give us a meal we can actually stomach.", mumbled one of the younger Ladies walking out of a large group tent and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Here-here!" shouted Xing Ji De in her usual rowdy tone to the newest member of the group, Shi Pai Lian.

Song smiled and shook her head from their arguing. Straightening up from her inspecting position of the pot's contents, she expectantly looked around at the few that surrounded her while intently shaking the scroll in her left paw.

"Now Ladies, just because the darkest hour is on us does not mean we can lose hope. I will not allow it!" she said cheerily. The Ladies laughed with some nodding their heads as Tu Bian began to pour her concoction in the wooden bowls they had been provided with a few months ago from a shop owner they saved from a mugging.

"You tell 'em Song! Soon we will have men on every arm!"

"And under every tail!"

Song's ears lowered; she groaned under her breath as the twins walked up behind her, her expression making everyone else laugh again. It had become normality to the group for the twins to be their comic relief at times, whether their "jokes" were really jokes or not.

Yet again Song smiled and lifted up her head, "True we will be rewarded soon. Perhaps not in the way La De and Fan Rao wish to be rewarded…" her mention created a small echo of chuckles as more and more of the Ladies continued to exit the tents, "but we will soon find a light at the end of this tunnel. I hold in my paw our newest mission; it was delivered last night and is the key to our freedom. No longer will we hide in the shadows because of past misdeeds! Here we claim our honor!"

Her small speech earned a light cheer from the mostly groggy crowd.

"What's the mission!" called out one of the girls. Song's smile faltered momentarily, but it quickly regained vigor as she opened the scroll and cleared her throat.

"From the Sechuan Province Ruler Li Que of the Kingdom of Ba, we are asked to follow, interrogate, and exterminate the kidnappers of his son and, if possible, return with his son unharmed!"

"Isn't the Kingdom of Ba feuding with the Kingdom of Shu? What if we follow the kidnappers into Shu territory?" asked a girl.

"Who cares about that! How much does it pay?" gruffly asked Xing Ji De in her usual get-to-the-point attitude.

This time, Song's smile only widened as she looked about at the group surrounding her. She gave a glance around for possibly the last time with functioning ears, and looked back at the scroll to continue reading aloud, "We have evidence to suggest that these kidnappers are not first time offenders! In which case such evidence suggests that they have been successful in holding ransom children from rulers in twelve other provinces!", almost every single leopard began to smile with bulging eyes at what was expected to be said next, "Any and all treasure found at their lair will be gladly handed over to you should you return my son safe and sound, with an upfront payment of twenty-eight thousand Yen!"

Song shut her eyes tight and clamped her ears down as the girls cheered.

"Okay, okay! Settle down!" laughed Song, who held up her paws over her head to gain attention "We leave as soon as we eat and pack up, so get your fill and hurry! Our destinies await!"

This was followed by another cheer, though said cheer was followed by a small grumble at the idea of eating the provided food; many of the females even decided to skip breakfast and begin packing.

Song decided to go back to her tent while awaiting her sisters. Things had to be reviewed anyway. The leader dipped her head only slightly as she reentered her tent only to rise back up once more to study her temporary home. In it held her cot which was big enough for two, a small wooden table that was custom built to be easily taken apart and carried if the need arises, and a bag of her personal effects. On the table sat a small unlit candle stick that had burned quite low the previous night, a small map of this section of China they were currently traversing in, and a small cup of half drank cold tea Tu had brought her last night.

She breathed in silently and treaded carefully to the table; her paws leaned on the familiar spots where she always kept them, to the sides clasping the edge. Though it could not be seen by most, the underside was riddled with long, thin strips of claw marks where Song had stressed on upcoming events and missions. They always took a dangerous road when going on missions, so this was perfectly understandable. Who better to risk their lives other than lowly former thieves attempting to regain their honor? But this time…this time was different.

Song studied the intricately designed map that she found among the mounds and mounds of maps in their "small" archive. Thanks to Su's planning ahead, the Ladies of Shade had an abundance of information about the world around them at their fingertips; this was perhaps the only thing Song would ever thank Su for from now on. If she ever saw her again.

After shaking this thought away, Song looked at the map once again. They were currently in the Enshi province. A nice area filled with mainly kind people. A few stubborn Lords had gotten in their way a few times in this province, but they were more than capable of handling that. Stubborn Lords were all over China, no matter which province you planned to visit. But they had to travel West. To Sechuan. This in and of itself was not the problem. Far from it, after all they would find great fortune either way. The problem was the Chongqing province, which stood in between Enshi and Sechuan. More specifically a land within the great province of Chongqing; The Valley of Peace.

The leopardess inwardly sighed and rolled up the map. Soon the journey of torment would begin.

A mere ten minutes later the large group of Ladies began their run. With packs of tents and supplies strapped to their backs, the femme feline fatales foreseeably flew through the forest with effortless ease. In spite of their small stature, the leopards were quite strong; having been trained in the arts of Wushu like many warriors were in the land of China, the Ladies of Shade were particularly talented in the acrobatic portion of this tradition. Of which they trained with many weights to jump as high as their long legs could take them.

Dozens and dozens of blurs soared through the forest, dashing by the trees and creating a torrent from their passing. With every weightless step taken, the females shortened the once thought impossible feat of leaving this forest in less than six hours by making the trip in under four.

After leaving the forest the girls ran as much as they could. They avoided every village they possibly could and escaped any guard that deemed them a threat to any nearby community.

Hours soon turned the morning jog into a midday run, and even though the Ladies had tired themselves out, they kept on with dreams of good fortune, great wealth and quality of life. The forest covered lands they had previously occupied turned to lands of mountains and rivers. And as they passed a familiar river, Song gave the signal for them to stop. Slowly everyone stopped their run, and within seconds the area was filled with the sounds of multiple burning lungs sucking in oxygen to blow out the flames.

Song turned around to face the group and raised her left paw to the river before them.

"Here…" she panted, "Take your fill of water and we will take a break by walking until we reach the next town."

Every feline nodded gratefully to their leader; leather pouches were brought out and dipped into the river, making a series of bubbling noises from the air escaping the containers. Each eye that belonged to every crouching body kept watch of their surroundings. For even though they were close to the Valley of Peace, the road was not always so peaceful.

Song sat almost inelegantly against a large boulder while her paws fiddled with the pouch of water she carried. Her eyes wandered around the atmosphere with an air of familiarity and comfort. She knew this place well with bamboo tree forests and stone bed clearings. Not to say she had any good memories of the area, but bitter memories always seem the brightest before a foreboding storm. The leader took a small gulp of water, continuing her inspection to any changes made; perhaps she would build a home here one day, she thought.

Suddenly Song began to giggle under her breath at her own foolishness. Even if she ever made a life for herself and gained a name of good repute, she would never build a home, least of all here.

As if by horrible fortune for Song, the twins La and Fan noticed their leader's subtle expression of joy. They gave each other a knowing look and waltzed from the head of the pack to Song, who still held her head up to look at the treetops.

La cleared her throat, causing Song to look at the twins.

"Yes, what is it?" she asked.

With another glance to her sister, Fan spoke up "Well La and I were just talking and..."

"We were wondering if you planned on taking a mate after this mission is over." chimed in La. Instantly Song began to rub her forehead.

"You know, since it's supposed to have such a huge reward and all." added Fan.

Song put on a formal air like she always did in this situation and straightened up. She smiled and looked at each twin.

"Thank you so much for your concern." she said, now turning right to left from Fan to La "But I am perfectly fine without anyone by my side save for my parasol."

"Oh, we never knew you were _that_ kind of girl, Song." giggled La.

Song gritted her teeth behind her smile, allowing her anger to build.

"Yes, perhaps no male could compete with _that_." sniggered Fan.

"Listen…just because I do not throw myself at every male I see does not make me a prude. But I will find the right man when the time is right. Do I make myself clear?" asked Song in a creepy smile through her bared fangs.

The twins both nodded, looking at Song with half concerned and half disturbed expressions. But once Song turned her back to them, their mischievous thoughts immediately returned.

"Alright everyone, we begin our walk now!" shouted Song with her back to everyone; she quickly walked away from the twins; half hoping they would hang in the back of the group.

But alas, Fan and La had their ways set. And they continued their torturous ideas while keeping only a few feet behind Song.

"You know, Fan…" said La "I think Song doesn't have a man because she's waiting for someone."

"But of course she is waiting for someone, La! She just told us!" said Fan in a fake surprised tone.

"No, I mean someone special. Like…" La smirked.

"You don't mean…" gasped Fan.

"The Masked Monochrome!" said the twins in unison before giggling almost uncontrollably.

Song's eye twitched in annoyance from the twins' unyielding mocking of her recurring dream.

"What was the 'prophecy' again, La?" asked Fan smugly.

"Well let's see…" La began to count with her fingers "There was a pair of red and purple eyes…"

"Then there was the heart shaped house that broke in two..." added Fan, who tried to hold back her laughter.

"Right, then there was a silver coin with a sapphire gem in the middle…."

"Now I thought the coin came in after the bottle of dried ice?" mumbled Fan.

"No no no, that came later didn't it?"

"Or perhaps it was before the bottle, but after the figure in a yin yang cloak cocooning him-"

"Alright, that's enough!" growled Song as she turned around in her stop, immediately shutting the twins up "My personal affairs are none of your concern! I told you that dream to see if you could find a way to interpret it by looking through the archives, not to tease me every single day about it!"

"We just want you to be happy, Song!" said Fan.

"Yeah, we're sorry! We were only trying to get you to come out of your shell a little!" said La.

Song huffed softly at them, then turned around again and continued the march followed closely by the twins, who were now receiving a few glares from the Ladies behind them.

The antagonized feline slowly cooled off from the walk to the village, but it became hard not to show any more emotion from the twins' teasing. She had to show leadership, to show no weakness for the good of the group.

Song sighed in relief when the village came into sight, for from here it was a sign that they were merely a few hours away from the Valley of Peace. Not that she wanted to go to the Valley of Peace or anything. In fact she would rather avoid it. Wouldn't she? Why not, there was nothing for her there. Just a friend. Just a friend…

Song shook her head subtly to force herself back to reality when she heard a scream. All the Ladies looked for the source of the cry, until La pointed down the road at a female pig shopkeeper standing outside of her store.

After acknowledging the confirmation, Song gave the signal to follow her; in an instant the chase began as the leopards rushed by the pig with two hanging behind to give comfort to the shop keep.

Soon the thief came into view; a crocodile with a pointy helmet carrying a load of goods such as fabrics and fruit. The creature wasn't very fast; in fact he was already showing signs of fatigue.

Song smirked in recognition of the weary thing and pointed both index fingers up in the air before meeting them behind her head. The signal for one of their maneuvers. Some of the Ladies giggled at this, and the plan began.

The crocodile did not know what hit him. First he saw one lady leopard fly by him to distract him. He blinked; his vision focused on the sight of the attractive female. Next four more leopards ran around him, taking every bit of the swag he stole. And finally the rest passed through in a fast moving crowd. The next thing the crocodile knew he was still running, but with nothing on his person except for his helmet to cover his midsection.

"Hey! Get back here with my stuff!" wheezed the crocodile. As he slowed down, for the first time ever in his life he did not throw his helmet down in his frustration, "Gosh darn it!" he yelled while jumping up and down angrily. The crocodile quickly hid himself in the alley when he heard the villagers around him laugh.

The Ladies made a turn around and came back to the shop to return the stolen goods post haste. After the group loaded the stolen goods back inside the store, the owner gave a low bow.

"Oh thank you so very much! I would not have been able to keep my shop open if that dreadful man continued to steal from me! Who is it I should thank for this?" asked the happy pig.

"The Ladies of Shade, at your service." smiled Song in a returning bow, followed by the other Ladies.

The pig's expression soon turned to worry.

"Oh-oh my! Get out! I do not need your kind around here! I will be lucky enough that you have not stolen anything already, so get lost!" shouted the pig as she swept them out of her door with her broom, then slammed the door in their faces.

The Ladies soon created a wave of lowering ears. Song sighed and smiled at her group.

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions, Ladies. It may be bitter work we do, but our name will be redeemed soon enough!"

The cheer was small and quiet, with only a few shouts and a clap or two. Song's smile lowered; she nodded and signaled to keep running.

Hours once again changed the reason of their travels. From low hanging sun to dusk they ran. Until they came upon the bamboo tree forest, Song could not keep herself from feeling depressed about their encounter with the pig. And after that last jog, Song had come to a decision. Whether they were trusted with this mission or not, Song felt much too insecure about this situation. After all, what if the king decided to go back on his word and become two faced like that seemingly kind shopkeeper? But at the sight of the forest her spirits lifted. They were just outside of…his village. The home of the Dragon Warrior.

Once in the forest, they stopped as soon as they could find a suitable clearing large enough to house their tents.

As Tu began to make supper, Song pulled La and Fan to the side while the rest of the Ladies were too preoccupied with maintaining their things.

"Listen, I want you two to promise me that you will not laugh at what I have to say, or will you tell the others why I have gone. If they ask I was only out to try and catch a fish." whispered Song to the two.

Fan and La looked at each other, then looked back at Song with a curious nod.

"I am going to go visit the Dragon Warrior. I need to ask for his assistance in this mission. I will not lie…" she sighed and looked around "We are not ready for this…"

"Oh but Song, it is so late at night." giggled Fan with a gleeful expression.

"You would not have the time to walk to the Jade Palace and come back before supper is over." smirked La.

"Best stay the night there." they said in unison.

"I will run, just save me some supper and put it in my tent!" hissed Song under her breath. Without giving the two the chance to retort, Song immediately left the campsite and ran towards the village.

As soon as the village came into view, Song allowed herself a genuine smile for the first time in months. She ran past the archway, through the streets, and over the bridge. Most of the villagers were already in their homes, and even the restaurants were closed, but Song's stomach still gurgled when she caught scent of the natural smell of Dragon Warrior Noodles and Tofu. So she ran even faster, jumping when she reached the bridge to catch some air.

The leopardess landed on all fours in a crouch and stretched a stance; glaring up at the Thousand Steps. She sighed through her nose, then took off up the stairs as fast as she could. The closer she came, the wearier she became. The wearier she became, the higher she climbed. The higher she climbed, the more determined she was. Finally after what seemed an eternity Song reached the top, climbing the last of them so wearily. As she fell to the top, Song panted and lay there for a minute, staring at the doors.

The girl smiled once again and stood. She came up to the wooden doors, and knocked. And she waited. And as she waited, she began to wonder how they could even know of her presence at night? Who would be in the arena during this time?

She soon received her answer.

Swinging open the wooden door to reveal a golden light from a great amount of candles behind her was none other than Master Tigress. As soon as Tigress spotted the leopard, she snarled.

"You!"

Song's eyes widened. She ducked a punch aimed straight at her head and blocked a knee to the face with both paws, using more than minimal effort.

"Wait- whoa! I'm not- aah! Here to steal- oof!" Song was cut short when Tigress landed a fist in her stomach. Song doubled over in pain and fell to her knees.

"Leave now, before I arrest you and take you to your comrade in Chorh-Gom Prison!" hissed the tiger as she pointed back down the steps.

"I'm…'pant'…here to see…'pant'…Po…" groaned Song, who could not raise her head, much less stand.

Tigress' eyes widened once more, but they quickly returned to her normal emotionless expression, "And what could you possibly want with him?" she seethed.

Song's ear twitched at the familiar hint of jealousy in Tigress' voice. She smirked and narrowed her eyes as she glared up at the other feline, "That's between Po, myself, and his bed chambers."

Immediately Song knew she made a big mistake. Tigress instantly ax kicked Song in the back, causing the leopardess to groan in pain and fall on her face; she refused to scream in front of this harlot.

"Tigress, what are you doing!" yelled a voice.

Moments later, Song could see the blurry form of Viper slithering outside.

"She is a thief. She attempted to steal the Dragon Chalice.", stated Tigress as she crossed her arms, "Why? Do you defend her?"

"She's the only reason we got it back!" exclaimed the snake.

Tigress snorted sarcastically, "If it was not for her, it would not have been stolen in the first place."

"True…" murmured Song as she stood up, very carefully, and looked straight at Tigress "But Po forgave me."

"Po forgives everyone for anything." grumbled Tigress "You may take your leave. Po is not here anyway."

"He isn't?" asked Song, feeling her heart sink.

"No. Feel free to leave these premises now." stated the tiger with a waving paw to the stairs.

As Song turned to leave, Viper glanced back and forth between the tiger and leopard before grabbing Song by the paw with her tail.

"Wait, wait…" Viper sighed "You came all the way here, the least we can do is let you stay the night and get you a nice meal." she winced when she remembered the fact that Po was not here "Well, a mediocre meal."

Song looked back at Viper and smiled. A nod was all that Viper needed to tug the female inside with Tigress cursing every moment; the door closed, taking the females and the golden light with it.

As soon as the three entered the kitchen, Song took note that they may be the only ones in the Palace, for no one else could be seen. Song and Tigress sat at the table while Viper brought a tray of fresh tea and dumplings. Perhaps not as good as Po's, but they would have to do.

In a grateful nod Song picked up a dumpling and took a bite. A sigh of satisfaction hit her when the complex flavors hit her tongue.

"Thank you so much, you have no idea how disgusting some of the food the cook makes has become." complimented Song after swallowing the food.

"Why did you wish to see Po?" asked Tigress curtly.

"Do I sense a little jealousy, Tigress?" smirked Song as she pierced another dumpling with her claw and bit into the doughy food.

Before Tigress could say anything, Viper interrupted.

"Yeah, but she'll never admit it. She's too hard headed." said Viper as she tapped the side of her own head a couple of times with the tip of her tail. Tigress opened her mouth to deny this, but she shut her mouth. Anything she said now would just egg them on, no matter what she said.

"Anyhow, I am here because I needed to ask Po for his help. You see, I have been leading the Ladies of Shade as you very well know. But I have turned the group around. We no longer steal; in fact we do good deeds wherever the wind takes us."

"And where does the wind take you, Song? The insides of vaults?" growled Tigress.

"As a matter of fact our current mission is the retrieval of a King's kidnapped son in Sechuan." said Song proudly. Tigress raised her brows only slightly, but they swiftly lowered once more.

"And why do you need Po's help to retrieve some brat from a bunch of fools?"

"Well I have not told the Ladies this, but…I do not have confidence that the king will be good on his word to reward us." at the look the two gave her, she quickly continued "Not that we are doing this for the money, but we do not exactly live in luxury. Besides this, I worry for my sisters' wellbeing…the people who took the boy are not just professionals. They are mercenaries." Song laughed halfheartedly under her breath with a deadpanned expression as she grabbed another dumpling "In fact they call themselves 'the Merchants of Aries'. Original, would you not agree?"

Viper and Tigress looked at each other, then looked back at Song. Song was beginning to tire of this exchange.

"If you are telling the truth, then we will have to accompany you." said Tigress.

"Why?" asked Song, narrowing her eyes. She would love Po's company. However for obvious reasons, she disliked Tigress.

"The Merchants of Aries are a large criminal syndicate mostly made up of hawks. They have stolen from us before, multiple times." stated Viper.

"And they have on more than one occasion gotten away from us." growled Tigress as she put a ready fist in her palm.

"Oh no…" Song shut her eyes at the thought of their reward dwindling "How many times?"

"Four. They are quite determined, I must admit." mumbled the tiger "They will not rest until they have collected every single artifact we keep."

"Do you have information on their whereabouts?" asked the snake.

Song revealed a grimace that had been hiding "Yes, it is in a cave at the top of a mountain."

"Wonderful.", grumbled the striped tiger.

"But I have a plan." shrugged Song.

"Wonderful.", Tigress said in the exact same tone.

"What's the plan?" asked the kind snake.

A few minutes later, after much strategic debate, Tigress and Viper led Song to the dorm side of the barracks.

"So where are the boys?" asked Song innocently.

"Master Shifu took Po to the Pool of Sacred Tears to train for a few days. Crane and Monkey are out on a mission, and Mantis is visiting his home village." said Viper.

Song silently nodded and looked around as they walked through the hallways. She looked ahead when they stopped in a specific hallway.

"Here is where you will be sleeping." stated the tiger as she opened the doors to Mantis' room "You will not leave the barracks until dawn, you will not go into Po's room, you will go to sleep and you will wake up in the morning. Nothing more, nothing less. Is this clear?"

"Crystal.", said Song as she entered the almost empty room. She began to see why the twins acted the way they did around someone as strict as she. The tension was unbearable.

"Goodnight, Song. We will see you at the sound of the gong." Viper then closed the doors softly.

Song looked at the room she was in and scratched the back of her head. Shrugging, she began to undress. She took off the fairly heavy bracers, the familiar tunic she always wore, the light brick red gauntlets, the soft charcoal black pants, and the light padding she wore under her tunic. The leopardess sighed in relaxation as she lay across the cot and stretched herself out. And before she knew it, she was falling asleep.

"_N-no…what's….he…." mumbled Song while looking at the darkness surrounding her. It was that dream again. Song trembled as the eyes appeared giant before her; staring her down like she was an insignificant ant. Then they morphed somehow into teardrop shapes, and formed an upside down heart. The heart landed before her and crumbled after a few seconds._

_The next to come was a large jar of steam. At the sight of it, she felt empty inside. But soon the jar opened; and she felt a cold chill run up her spine. Next the steam escaped from the jar and formed into a peculiar form. It was the symbol of balance itself, but it was somehow enclosed around someone. She attempted to see the face of the person by pulling away the strange fabric, but the face was a simple half black half white blank._

_The next and final occurrence….the symbol shifted and formed a giant silver coin. In the middle was a huge sapphire with a wave inherently formed on the inside. The great coin landed. And smashed into the ground in a loud reverberating sound._

Song almost jumped out of her skin when the gong woke her up. She sat up straight with a start, looking around wildly to figure out where she was. The leopardess then calmed her breathing, remembering the events from last night. She rubbed her eyes and stretched a groan.

Just then Tigress swung open the doors.

"When the gong sounds, you arrive at your door. No exceptions." spat Tigress.

"Tigress, she's a guest. Be tolerant." yawned Viper as she slithered by.

Song scowled at the other feline, then stood up to get dressed. But to her surprise, her clothes were gone. She spun on her heel to face the tiger still standing in the doorway.

"What did you do with my belongings?" she snapped.

"Perhaps they disintegrated after finally being free from your filthy being." seethed the tiger.

Song clenched her fists until they shook with anger. Standing only in her undergarments, she was in no shape to walk around in public. And she needed to get back to the camp before the Ladies began searching for her or before the twins started telling everyone their tall tales, whichever came first.

"Where…are they?" growled Song, feeling her hatred for the tiger rise.

"Relax, they are probably being cleaned by the Jade Palace staff." said Tigress.

"Well I need something to wear until they have finished." stated Song as she crossed her arms.

Tigress rolled her eyes and walked back down the hall to her own room. A few moments later, the master of the Tiger style returned with some spare clothes she never wore. A red robe with a gold trim she had been saving and a blue pair of pants she would never wear.

"Here", she tossed the clothes right into Song's face, which the leopardess caught in her arms and glared back at the fellow female "Get dressed and come to the kitchen. As soon as we eat, we leave for Sechuan."

Song's ears flattened against her head at Tigress' incredibly disrespectful attitude towards her. She was not used to a single person treating her like this; it was a strange sensation. In most ways she hated it. But in a way, she liked this feeling. Song loathed being in charge all the time. To have to keep up with so many people all the time. It was a relief to not need to worry so much. But in her heart she knew she would have to keep being the leader, at least until the Ladies gained the good name they wished to live with.

As soon as Tigress closed the doors to the room, Song began to get dressed. And as Tigress "requested", Song immediately made her way to the kitchen to eat.

Once breakfast was finished, Tigress wrote a note to Master Shifu describing what had transpired and where they were headed. And since Master Shifu and Po would be returning the following night, the females of the Five had little worry that the Valley would need much protection until then.

Song, followed by Tigress and Viper, left the Palace with the sun still low in the sky, much to Song's gratefulness. As they kept true towards the bottom of the stairs, Song felt an urge to run. Not from fear, but from pride. And perhaps out of jealousy as well. For most of her thoughts this morning that did not have to do with the mission had everything to do with showing Po that she was much better than Tigress. And even with her strength, Tigress was nowhere near as fast as Song was; especially with her armor off. So with her logical mind fighting with the more enamored part of her mind seeming to work together, Song allowed herself the pleasure to take Tigress down a peg.

Suddenly Song cleared her throat, making her the center of attention to the two behind her.

"So Tigress…" said Song as she rolled her shoulders without looking back at the tiger "just how fast do you think it will take my Ladies and I to run so far ahead of you that we are mere specks in the far off road?"

Tigress raised a brow, not knowing what type of speed the Ladies of Shade held.

"You act as if you could beat my speed."

"You answer as if it was contest." retorted Song, who stretched her arms and sighed nonchalantly.

Viper glanced back and forth between the two; her face was covered with nervous features.

"Fine. If you wish for a race, you will have it.", stated Tigress while meeting Song on equal footing so they walked on the same steps at the same time "But do not weep when my dust shrouds your eyes."

"Oh, boy…" sighed Viper.

"We shall start the race at the bottom of the Steps, I presume?" asked Song while popping her neck.

"Definitely.", snarled Tigress as she cracked her knuckles.

"And I suppose I'm going to be judging this race?" asked Viper, her tone bordering a groan.

"By the way Viper, you may wish to ride on my back to witness my victory. After all, you would only weigh Tigress down." smugly added the leopard.

"Viper, get on my back." snapped the tiger. Viper rolled her eyes and slithered up her sister's back to wrap herself around her waist.

As soon as the snake performed this, the two felines made it to the bottom. Both got down on all fours in a starting position; each were extremely focused on the view ahead.

"Ready…" both felines rolled their shoulders.

"Set…" both pairs of eyes narrowed.

"Go!"


End file.
